Whether the upper levels were enjoying a silent night, Joey didn't know—but he was certain the lower decks were not.
Massacre.
Before dawn arrived, Joey witnessed carnage across the fifth floor.
A slaughter by so-called "Level Warriors" targeting civilians. Screams echoed nonstop. The Royal Army stayed awake all night. The Gyasha Family, responsible for managing Tier 5, had fully mobilized.
But to those who gained power by killing, ordinary people were just fodder.
Even when some Hunters intervened to suppress the slaughter, it wasn't enough. Killings kept flaring up all over Tier 5.
Ever since the Ei Ei Family's Level Warriors initiated the bloodshed, other hidden wolves among the population had begun to bare their fangs.
The entire fifth floor plunged into chaos.
But for Joey, the chaos wasn't a hindrance—if anything, he moved through it like a fish in water.
And based on his knowledge of the Ei Ei Family, they didn't have many people left.
That they could still send operatives into Tier 5 meant Morena had found new candidates.
Their backgrounds? Joey could only guess—but it was likely they were linked to an upper-tier prince.
Most likely the Fourth Prince.
Though the Fourth Prince was dead, his private soldiers still remained on board.
With Morena's manipulative skills, crafting lies or leveraging leftover intel to sway them wouldn't be hard.
And the most effective use of that intel?
Joey could already picture it: frame him as the assassin of the Fourth Prince, and offer the soldiers a chance at revenge.
Loyalist soldiers would be easy to rally.
There were more private soldiers than the newly integrated members of the Ei Ei Family, and they were far more dangerous than civilian recruits.
It was an obvious but excellent move.
Especially since the constant flow of personnel from the Ei Ei Family to Tier 5 suggested they'd gained another spatial-type ability user.
Otherwise, with Luini dead, they'd have to pass through Tier 4 to reach Tier 5.
But Tier 4 was Xi Yuu Family turf. With Hinrigh in control, it was hard to believe anyone from the Ei Ei Family could slip through.
Even with disguises, the routes between tiers were heavily guarded.
Besides, shuttling people that way was time-consuming and inefficient.
This kind of disruption was bound to trigger a civilian uprising on Tier 5. Random killings left unchecked would soon spark mass panic.
But then again—where could they even flee to?
Joey stopped in an empty room—blood still fresh on the walls—with Melody beside him.
Tier 5 was no longer suitable for them.
He decided: it was time to return to the upper floors.
He quickly messaged Piyon, sending the recorded room number.
The reply came fast:
"Can't be contacted for now. You'd better head to Tier 4 yourself. The room was found. Identities compromised."
A short message—but it made Joey's face harden.
He hadn't expected the Tenth and Eleventh Princes' location to be leaked.
Who?
And more importantly—what is their current condition?
Joey pulled up Tita's number and tried to call. Only a dead signal answered.
He'd half-expected it, but still furrowed his brow.
"Let's go. To Tier 4. Something's changed," he said, putting his phone away.
Melody nodded obediently. Her ability to detect even faint heartbeats from dozens of meters away was more reliable than Gold Experience for evasion.
Even if someone detected them, Melody could read their state just by their pulse.
Their movements were as stealthy as it gets—perfect for avoiding ambushes.
The routes to Tier 4 weren't numerous, but it was better than the single route to Tier 2.
Still, when they reached the vicinity of the passage, they saw that the chaos of Tier 5 had worsened.
A massive crowd of civilians blocked the path to Tier 4. Even with Royal Army guns aimed at them, they refused to move.
Many were sitting down, forming a wall of bodies.
Joey and Melody exchanged glances, quickly figuring out the cause.
The murders had spread fear across Tier 5. Bodies were found everywhere—especially in places beyond the Army's control.
Panic peaked.
Even with passages sealed, the civilians refused to go back to their rooms.
To them, staying near the soldiers was safer.
Scattering meant becoming prey for the killers.
Especially since there were rumors that mafia agents were also lying in wait.
The Royal Army, with help from the Hunter Association, had begun a sweep of the murderers, but it would take time.
And as Joey knew, if the Army fired on civilians, a riot would explode instantly.
Which made Joey's departure with Melody far more difficult.
But Joey wasn't reckless—he had other ways.
In a deserted spot, he summoned a violent gust of wind.
Both he and Melody were lifted into the air.
Killer Queen appeared and began erasing the ceiling above.
Soon, Joey blasted open a path from Tier 5 to Tier 4.
Thanks to his En, he'd long since confirmed this spot was clear of people.
"You're really going with my clone?" he asked Melody, just to be sure.
"Mm. I don't have the stamina for more movement. Even with your support, I'd be a burden."
"And I can't be sure if they're still tracking me. If the Troupe shows up again, it won't just be one member. If you're with me, we'd both be at risk."
Her voice was soft but her tone firm. She had already made up her mind.
Joey opened his mouth—but said nothing.
She was right.
He wasn't in perfect shape either.
The fight with Feitan hadn't lasted long, but using large-scale weather attacks and oxygen manipulation had drained his aura.
His arm injury still hadn't fully recovered—he'd just finished forming a new one with his ability.
Not to mention the strain from making so many clones.
At best, he was operating at 30% of his full power.
That was more than enough to crush mafia grunts—but fighting multiple Phantom Troupe members? Impossible.
Melody's logic was flawless.
If the Troupe came for them and he stayed close, they'd both go down.
But if he left only his clone behind, only one of them would die—and if there was no danger, he could later pick her up and regroup at Tier 3.
"No need for explanations," Melody smiled faintly.
"You saved me from the Second Prince. I'm already in your debt."
"If you keep risking yourself for me, I won't be able to live with myself."
Joey saw the warmth behind her strange-looking face, and it touched him deeply.
"…Take care. I'll find them quickly. Wait for me," Joey said.
Without further hesitation, he poured extra aura into the clone and darted away.
Once she could no longer hear his presence, Melody turned her gaze to the clone.
Then she smiled again and followed it into the shadows.
Moments later, a man and woman arrived at the gap in the ceiling Joey had blasted open.
The man had an IV drip. The woman wore casual clothes.
They were Zachuro and Lynch, top subordinates of Hinrigh, heir to the Xi Yuu Family.
"Patch the hole. Let's go. He already destroyed my blood—I guess he sensed it."
Zachuro sounded listless. "Only a few people even know my ability. And to erase my blood without ever seeing me... I can only think of one name."
"Joey," Lynch said, unbothered. "Looks like he already got word about the Tenth and Eleventh Princes."
"Depends. That guy's way too cautious."
"Anyway, it's the boss's business. We should keep hunting Ei Ei Family members. I'd hate for Tier 4 to end up as messy as Tier 5."
She shrugged.
"Sigh… This ship really is crawling with monsters."
"Yeah."
…
Joey moved swiftly across Tier 4.
The moment he arrived, he'd noticed Zachuro's blood.
It was small, but emitted aura—impossible to miss.
He'd used Weather Report to incinerate it with a lightning strike.
He'd been spotted.
But he couldn't help it. He'd picked the location carefully—but fate had other plans.
There was another problem: he couldn't gauge the range of Zachuro's ability.
The blood moved fast, but the Nen maintaining it wasn't Emission-based.
Which meant it weakened as it traveled.
Once the aura ran dry, the blood would become inert.
By Joey's estimate, that meant a lifespan of under 30 minutes, assuming Zachuro was a Manipulator.
Manipulation could approximate Emission up to 80% efficiency.
At that rate, the blood could cover over a kilometer.
Annoying, but manageable.
His bigger concern wasn't Zachuro—it was Hinrigh, the young head of the Xi Yuu Family.
With an ability like Gold Experience, Hinrigh was a nightmare to detect.
Tier 4 wasn't clean like the upper decks.
Cockroaches, spiders, rats—filthy vermin were everywhere.
Joey couldn't swat them all—even with his abilities.
And if any one of them was Hinrigh's ability, he'd be instantly exposed.
Still, his real location didn't matter. What mattered was protecting Melody and the clone.
Now that he was on the other side, he understood just how dangerous a Gold Experience-like power could be.
So Joey made a call: ignore every single bug.
If exposure was inevitable, then he'd be the bait.
Draw attention to himself—let Melody and the clone move unseen.
It was a fair trade.
The clone wore a disguise. Melody didn't—but she had never shown up in the lower tiers and wasn't considered important.
With Joey acting as a lightning rod, they'd likely go unnoticed.
As for finding the Tenth and Eleventh Princes—that wasn't hard.
Joey had left Gold Experience constructs on them both.
He could already sense the direction from the moment he entered Tier 4.
He just had to follow it.
His only worry: their current status.
If their identities had been leaked, the assassins would already be closing in.
And if Joey was using himself as bait, it would only delay his arrival.
So ideally, he needed to clear the threats first, then go to them.
That way, even if they were already under attack, he wouldn't bring more enemies with him.
So—where was the best place to fight in Tier 4?
And if any Troupe members were here… who?
The known Troupe in Tier 5: Franklin and Feitan.
Tier 3: Shizuku, Bonolenov, and Chrollo (spotted by Joey's clone).
That left: Phinks, Kortopi, and Machi.
The spider had lost too many legs—and they hadn't been replaced.
Joey was secretly grateful Illumi had joined Zodiacs instead of the Troupe.
Otherwise, he'd be facing another nightmare.
Just then, Joey's phone buzzed.
It was Hisoka's number.
"Don't steal my prey! Go play with coffins or something. I'm off to find my toy! ╭(╯^╰)╮"
"…Eh???"
(End of Chapter)